1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal printer capable of controlling the drive time of a thermal head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional thermal printer equipped with a thermal head having a 5.times.7 or 1.times.7 heat-generating dot-element array for character recording of a dot matrix structure, a continuous recording with signals of a determined duration supplied to the heat-generating dot elements may result in a gradual increase in head temperature as successive recording is initiated before the head face is sufficiently cooled, thus leading to an uneven recording or to a head temperature higher than its maximum permissible value, thus causing the destruction of the head. On the other hand the recording speed will have to be sacrificed if a sufficient cooling time is given between the recording signals.